Becoming Sesshoumaru
by Tabbykitty
Summary: A tale about how Sesshoumaru got his name and became the coldhearted, emotionless, human hating demon lord of the western lands. A biography of the taiyoukai that I hope does justice to this character. Updated constantly, reviewer questions answered
1. Birth

_Disclaimer: "Inuyasha" and all the characters that appear in it belong to the author Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them at all._

_However, in order to write a fanfic that makes sense, I've had to create some original characters of my own._

_After reading the various fanfic stories and looking at the dates when they were last updated, I sort of realized that perhaps I am a bit of a latecomer when writing a fanfic based on the manga and anime "Inuyasha". I have only recently been able to view the anime recently and I absolutely love it, especially the character of Sesshoumaru. _

_I've decided to write a story about his birth, childhood and early years – a type of "origins" tale which explains stuff like how he got to be the person he is. The story is based upon my own interpretation of Sesshoumaru's character and the anime that I have seen thus far. _

_For all the Sesshy fans out there, don't be too disappointed if the character doesn't seem like the ultra-cool demon lord in the anime in the first few chapters. It does take time for a demon lord to become who he is, and certainly I don't think Sess was born talking and behaving the way he does in the manga._

_To answer a few questions that have already popped up:_

_1. I did a little reading and research on Sesshy and found out that he is at least a couple of hundred years older than Inuyasha. That means, he and his half-brother can't have grown up in the same time period. Besides, the movie "Swords of an honourable lord" has set it up so Sess is an adult when his father Inutaisho dies. _

_2. This story places the birth and teenage years of Sesshoumaru a couple of hundred years before the birth of Inuyasha. He has a totally demon mom and his father won't meet Inuyasha's mom until much later.

* * *

_

A soft whimpering broke the stillness of the night. Although it was an endearing sound, Leiko turned away from it in irritation. She hadn't quite expected the baby to arrive at such an inconvenient time. Lying on a bare rock, she carefully scrutinized at her latest victim, a giant demon snake that had hunted her for the better part of half a year. When she was sure that the giant serpent wasn't going to spontaneously regenerate or suddenly return to life, Leiko turned to look that the child she had just given birth to.

Lying curled up in a pool of blood with its umbilical cord still attached she noted with some amazement and annoyance that her whelp was a tiny demon pup. Quickly, Leiko searched her memories for its father's face. Among the barely-remembered features of her many dalliances, she called to mind a particularly handsome demon she had enticed with her magic into a single night of passion.

Leiko cursed her carelessness. In a moment of weakness, she had allowed herself to entertain thoughts of something akin to love when she seduced the demon dog. Although he left in disgust the very next morning, she still wallowed in the notion that he might return to her. She hadn't really noticed that she had conceived a child, until some months later when it was evident that he wanted nothing to do with her.

Reflecting coldly on her past actions, Leiko picked the blood-drenched pup up by the scruff of its neck and peered into its tiny, closed eyes. She could have easily ended the pregnancy, but it seemed fate always intervened to prevent her from taking the necessary action. In fact, she had been so relentlessly hunted by all manner of youkai (demons) in the last few months, that killing her quiet, unborn babe, who rarely kicked while he was growing inside of her, was the last thing on her mind. At one point, she even thought about birthing the child, just to see whose bastard it might be.

The little pup began to cry out as the cold, autumn wind blew in Leiko's direction. Despite the piteous yelping, she cut the pup's umbilical cord with a snap of her sharp claws and marveled at the fact that the poison from her talons didn't seem to affect her tiny son one bit.

"I suppose there IS some of me in you after all," she said to the tiny creature, who now shed his first tears as he slowly froze in the biting wind.

In an action that sprung purely from whatever motherly instinct existed in her, Leiko magically pulled a soft cloth from her flowing sleeves and wrapped her infant son in it. As she leaped into the air and flew to her lair in the mountains, Leiko considered the burden… or advantage that was currently thrust upon her. She had in the past considered taking on a minor demon or imp as her minion, but never really went about finding a loyal lackey because no imp who was smart enough to be her servant could be trusted with her secrets, her spells or her famous poisons. She was known to all as "Leiko the Poisoned Whip" – a beguiling enchantress, an assassin for hire, and the most beautiful succubus that had ever existed since the dawn of the world. Although she could have seduced any imp to obey her till the death, Leiko didn't like the hassle of going through such measures to ensure loyalty and certainly didn't like the idea of even touching a lowly imp.

As she looked down at her tiny son, who was now sleeping soundly in his bundle, she saw the potential of raising him as her loyal slave. IF she raised and trained him carefully, she didn't need to promise him riches or lands, or even a share of her powers or magic. Her twisted mind was already formulating his education. Although she was almost devoid of the emotion that humans called affection, she keenly understood how it could be manipulated to serve her advantage. After all, what better servant could she have asked for, than a son who would labour under the notion that in some far distant time, perhaps tens of thousands of years into the future, he would eventually gain his mother's approval and love.


	2. What's In A Name?

_Disclaimer: I don't own "Inuyasha" at all._

_However, in order to write a fanfic that makes sense, I've had to create some original characters of my own._

_The following chapter explains how Sesshoumaru got his name, which some have said either translates to "Killing Perfection" or "The Destroyer of Life", amongst many other likely interpretations. I wondered what kind of parent would give their son this sort of name and under what circumstances. _

Leiko scrutinized her small son quietly from the shadowy recesses of her cavern home. Around 70 years passed since the day he was born. As a full-blooded demon, the boy grew very slowly and physically appeared as a silvery-haired 7-year-old with sharp fangs and claws at the end of his slender fingers. His canine form was equally unimpressive, for he was no bigger than a large dog.

The demoness frowned with great displeasure as the lad tripped, stumbled and landed flat on his face while playing with the smallish orbs of werelight that floated around her sparkling cavern. Despite being the scion of a mighty warrior, the lad possessed a surprisingly slender build and seemed uncoordinated. Looking scornfully at her son, Leiko quickly scrapped her initial plan to turn him into her heavily-muscled bodyguard. As the child-like laughter of her son reverberated off the walls of the cave, Leiko wondered with some annoyance if her whelp was also a dull-witted boy who was easily enticed by silly baubles.

Brooding over the spanner that fate had somehow thrown in her well-laid plans, Leiko stepped from her shadowy watching post and let loose a torrent of curses at her son. She railed at him for making too much noise and giving her a headache before kicking the boy out of her lair.

"Mangy Cur! Do not return until you've learned how to be silent!" she screamed at her son as he fled down the mountain trail that led from the cavern to a lush, green forest below.

With his raggedly cut hair flying like the wind, the golden-eyed boy sped as fast as he could along the rocky trail. Despite his age, he was already able to recognize his mother's moods. Often, she would rail at him for no apparent reason and on those unpleasant occasions found himself forced to leave the comfort of his cavern home, even if a storm was gathering out in the highland country.

* * *

Although she never really explained the cause of her apparent anger towards him, he supposed it might have something to do with her long periods of absence from their home. Once, she returned with a terrible wound on her side that caused her a great deal of pain. He asked her about it gently, but was quickly rebuffed and locked up in his room. As he waited miserably for his mother to release him, he started to hear awful sounds coming from outside.

Peeking out through the keyhole, he saw his mother locked in mortal combat with a huge, clawed monstrosity. Although she was a fearsome creature herself, he would never forget the look of helplessness and pain when the creature held her tiny waist and crushed her with its gigantic claws. The boy cried out in terror and a feeling of anger and sadness crept into his heart for the first time in his life.

Fortunately for him and for Leiko his mother, the struggle turned in her favour and soon the blood and guts of a huge beast decorated the walls of their home.

When she finally unlocked the door to his room some minutes after the gruesome battle, the awful spectacle of black blood covering his mother was broken only by the zen-like expression of emotionless calm on her face. It was a sight both demonic and divine that created feelings of fear, admiration and envy in the little boy and added to the confusion that he felt regarding his mother.

He supposed that her stern demeanor and frequent outbursts of temper had something to do with having to deal with so many life-threatening enemies. Apart from her dark moods, Leiko was even tempered and provided a rather comfortable roof over his head. However, there was something else that he desired from her, but he simply couldn't find a singular concept in his mind that adequately described that need.

* * *

As he ran down the slope into the cool, awaiting forest, the smell of pine and aromatic grasses caused an instinctive transformation into his four-footed form. He ran around in great bounding strides, leaping over tall bushes and shallow streams. Soon, his jaunt took him to a clearing where he knew a group of young kitsune (fox demon/spirit) frequently played. He had tried to approach them once, many years ago, but found that the greatest pleasure he derived from these little bushy-tailed individuals was in scaring the daylights out of them.

He found them now, frolicking in the tall grass of the clearing. Making a huge leap, he opened his mouth and gave the most ferocious growl he could muster. Almost on cue, the little kitsune scattered, screaming in terror. He raced after a few of them, pretending to snap at their cute, little tails. However, when he got close enough to actually take a chomp out of one, he stopped and redirected his attention at another. He didn't really want to hurt them because it was so much more fun chasing them around, than to have one actually lie at his feet like some of the dead hares he occasionally killed.

Suddenly, a flurry of orange dashed out from the side and knocked him aside before his jaws got too close to a stumbling youngster. He smelt the scent of an adult fox, as he went tumbling towards a tree. Then he saw it, the largest fox that he had ever laid eyes on. It was nearly three-times his size and had a jaw that could snap off his head with a bite.

Knowing that it was impossible to defeat his opponent, the transformed boy gave his best growl and ran off. However, he didn't go too far, for he resumed his humanoid appearance and rounded back to study this new addition to the group. Hiding in the trees, he came again to the clearing, and saw the huge fox licking the forehead of one of the smallest kitsune who had sustained a bump in this latest romp. As he watched, a glowing light surrounded the large fox and its limbs and snout shortened. Soon, a ginger-haired woman clad in a simple but elegant kimono with a fluffy orange tail came to view. She carefully picked up the little fox spirit in her arms and held it close to her heart while quietly calling its name in soft, loving words.

A lump formed in his throat as the ginger-haired lady softly crooned to the little fox child in her arms. All thought of a rematch with the large fox left the boy as he stared in amazement and confusion at the scene before him. The scent of the pair told him that the two were mother and child. Although he didn't fully understand the emotions that were expressed, the boy felt a surge of envy rise in him.

He had no friends and knew next to nothing about the bond between members in a family. The only people he ever saw were his own mother and some of the demons she associated with. They were strong, vicious and ruthless individuals, and the boy assumed that he too would one day become as they were. Thus he accepted as natural his mother's cold demeanour towards him. He never knew that the bond between mother and son could consist of tenderness and love.

Because the sight of the happy kitsune family created feelings of longing and deprivation, the boy ran towards the mountain and back up the trail to his home. He was going to ask Leiko why she didn't hold him, or tell him that she loved him or even bothered to give him a proper name. In fact, as far back as he could remember, his mother either called him "boy", "dog" or a nickname that sounded a little like "mangy pup".

As he neared his mother's cavern, his acute sense of smell picked up the scent of an ogre. Tracking the smell, he found his way into the cavern, where his ears picked up the sound of a struggle coming from a cave that was his mother's private chambers.

Quickly, he rushed to his mother's room and found an ogre "wrestling" with his beautiful mother, its huge, horned head positioned at her slender neck, hiding her face from view. His mother's kimono was hanging away from her hips exposing her tender, creamy skin and perfect breasts to the rough, warty hands of the ogre.

"Stop… stop, you nasty beast," he heard his mother's voice, much softer than it usually was coming from behind the huge ogre's head.

Snarling in anger with claws extended, he leapt in his canine form and chomped as hard as he could downwards on the ogre's arm. The ogre roared in pain and flung his arm aside, throwing the young lad against the hard stone wall of the cave. As the world exploded into a red haze of pain, he dimly saw the ogre advancing on him. Bracing himself for an attack, he tried to move his hurting body into a more advantageous position. However, the ogre stopped as a familiar slender hand laid itself on his arm and the owner; his half-clothed mother stepped forward.

Confused by what he saw, the lad's eyes widened as his mother's talons flew downwards in a stinging slap that hurt worse than the concussion he had received from the ogre.

"You shame me! Get out of here!" his mother hissed, pointing at the exit of the cave.

Tears sprung into his eyes, but his mother's hand returned in a backhanded blow to his face. She then dragged him by his hair and hurled him out of her cavern, yelling, "Don't come back, you ungrateful boy!"

Confused and staggering from the blows he had received, the lad reverted to his humanoid form and wept, calling out to his mother. He got up and ran towards the entrance of the cavern. However, as soon as he reached it, a tremendous force, like a bolt of lightning threw him backward down the mountain trail. His mother had somehow formed a barrier so that he could not enter. He then sat outside calling her name for 2 hours, but there was no response at all from the occupants of the cave.

He was finally forced to leave when a storm broke and rain began to fall down his poorly clad body.

Miserable and bruised, he wandered for days in the hills around his mother's cavern, wanting to go back home but fearing his mother's awful rage. He wondered if he should apologise to her, but something inside of him rebelled at the thought. A great sadness crept into his soul at the thought that he was finally being abandoned by the only person whom he could speak to. He had no friends, not even among the kitsune he enjoyed chasing around.

Finally his wanderings brought him to a wide river near his home. As he thought of how he might soon have to follow the river out to the great wide world, since he could no longer go home, he saw a familiar figure, his mother in fact, fleeing across the sand bank beside the river. She held something that glowed in her hands and was being pursued by a very angry ogre, the same one that he had bitten some days ago.

His instincts fired up and he ran like the wind to intercept the ogre. As soon as he was near enough, he jumped towards the ogre's face and slashed downwards with his claws. Caught by surprise, the ogre received welts across the side of his face that burned with the poison from the boy's own talons. Roaring in pain and anger, the ogre swiftly responded and delivered a blow to the lad that made him land with a hard thump on the sandy ground.

The world spun around crazily as the crushing blow caused blood to pour forth from his pointed ears. Seeing the ogre's massive form loom over him, the boy quickly grabbed a handful of sand and flung it in the general direction of the ogre's eyes. Although he didn't quite manage to see it, a roar of frustration signaled to him that the sand had done its work. Despite the dizziness, he sprung towards the ogre's chest, thrusting his sharp claws like a dagger into the ogre's chest!

Suddenly he felt an explosion of pain in his left side as the ogre's claws found his ribs and tore a chunk off his chest. Despite the intense pain, he pushed ahead, forcing his claws deep into the ogre's chest where it found the monster's pulsating heart and tore it out in a single impossible motion.

Then, he felt a rush of warm, wet blood raining down on him as the sounds of the world became muffled and hollow. He had reached the end of his strength and fell into dark oblivion.

A long, silent, dreamless darkness passed before the lad opened his eyes again. With some difficulty, his eyes adjusted to the dim orbs of eerie light that hung suspended from the roof of his mother's cavern. His sense of smell told him that he was back in his own room at home and that there were some healing herbs nearby.

His ears picked up the rustle of silk brocade beside him and he turned his head with some difficulty to see the perfect, serene face of his mother looking down at him in an expression that was unfamiliar but strangely welcome.

He opened his mouth to say something, but only managed to make a soft, rattling sound.

"Welcome home, my son," his mother spoke in a voice of such infinite tenderness, that he was taken aback by it. She then moved to sit by his bed, lifted him gently and brought a cup of warm water to his lips.

"Mother?" he looked up with huge eyes at Leiko, his mother.

She stroked his forehead softly, "Rest well… you are safe now."

Tears sprung to the boy's eyes, he wanted to cry, but held them back. There were many questions in his confused mind. He wanted to ask her why she acted the way she did, and didn't show him any affection before and why she did so now. However, as long suppressed emotions welled up to the surface, the only thing he could say was, "Please don't send me away!"

"What do you think, my son?" She was now smiling, a new sight that brought tears to the boy's eyes. His heart seemed to grow warm and yet ached at the same time when he heard the words "my son". She had never called him that before.

"I'll be good, I swear!" the boy pleaded as he looked into his mother's large eyes.

Leiko pulled her son close to her and whispered tenderly in his ear, "My dear son, born in my image, you have this day, shown me the strength of our blood. I am proud of you, my hero… my protector… the sword on my right arm… my… Sesshoumaru…"

"You are mine forever…"

Leiko kissed her son's forehead.

Leiko smiled as she left her sleeping son. Things had turned out better than she had expected. It wasn't quite what she would have planned, but it worked out none the less. Since he was little, she had allowed her son to wander around seemingly unsupervised in the nearby forest, watching him closely to see if left on his own, the wilderness would bring out his instincts to hunt and kill. Naturally, she was disappointed to find out that after so many rounds of scaring the local fox-children, he just didn't have it in his nature to kill them.

She really didn't plan on having him stumble onto her tryst with the ogre, but the whole incident somehow brought out the killer that she hoped existed in her son. As soon as she realized how ferocious her son could be when he thought she was being assaulted, she arranged for the boy to see her being chased by that stupid ogre.

Pulling out a glowing object from the folds of her kimono, she studied the precious magical bauble that she stole from the ogre in order to incite him. After a few seconds, she tossed it aside where it landed on the hard, rocky floor of her cave and shattered into a thousand glittering pieces before vanishing into the darkness.


	3. First Encounters

_In this chapter, Sess is now around 120-years of age (ie, 70 yrs in chapter 2 + 50 years in this chapter) and appears as a boy of about 13 years of age. He is still pretty much a normal kid except that his killer instincts have been awakened and are now utilized in the service of his mother. He has never really met a human face-to-face up till now. However, chance and fate (aka ME… hee hee) now connive to bring the human world to the doorstep of his home._

_Translations:_

_Youkai – demon_

_Kitsune – a type of fox demon, the same as Shippou in the original "Inuyasha"_

_Ningen - human

* * *

_

Huge, slimy mandibles, like razor-sharp knives flashed in the afternoon sun as the gaping mouth of a giant demon centipede chomped downwards into the flinty earth. Its intended target, a small, slender boy with silvery hair, sensed the imminent danger and leapt aside onto a nearby rock with a grace and speed that surpassed even the most gifted human acrobat.

Enraged that a seemingly defenseless prey had slipped from its grasp, the centipede demon roared loudly and unfurled its many-legged body to make a lunge at the boy. Almost as though he anticipated this maneuver, the child rolled his eyes in scorn as he jumped and somersaulted upwards towards the shiny carapace of the creature's head.

In a mere second, the lad was on the armoured head and with a quick downward thrust of his clawed hand, broke through the tough carapace and pulled out the creature's brain. The motion caught the creature completely by surprise, and in it the shock of death, managed only a rattle in its giant throat before its body fell lifeless on the rocky ground.

Before the huge, many-legged body crushed him, the skinny boy sprung off the corpse and landed neatly on the stony ground nearby. As soon as the dust settled, the boy raised his right hand and a fine whip that seemed to be made of golden fairy-dust and moonlight sprang forth from his finger like a translucent snaking beam. Flicking his hand lightly, the boy made lashing motions at the centipede's hard head. The ethereal whip cut clean, shallow slices around a certain segment of the carapace that caused a well-measured chunk of armour to fall off from the corpse.

Retracting his whip, the boy walked over to the hole he had made in the monster's body, reached into the slimy flesh and pulled out a greenish gland that steamed with poisonous fumes. Nonchalantly and almost as a matter of routine, he pulled out an empty clay jar and dropped the gland into the jar before capping it with a stone plug.

Although he had done this many times before, the boy's nose twitched uncomfortably as he carefully placed the jar into a small, leather cloth bag that he carried. Although water, a bit of oil, ash and some scented herbs would likely remove the slime and smell from his hands, he could at times still smell the fetid odour of dead demon on his fingers and claws. He particularly disliked the centipedes, spiders and crawly beasts. They seemed to have the foulest insides of all the many creatures he regularly hunted to supply his mother's alchemy.

The thought of his mother caused him to sigh and head towards the nearest stream. It was almost 50 years since the night that he killed a menacing ogre to save his mother, and she gave him a proper name - Sesshoumaru. Now much taller and with a swathe of silky, silvery hair, he looked much like any other thirteen-year old boy, with the exception of his gracefully pointed ears and facial markings.

He remembered the night fondly and wore his name like a badge of honour. It was a turning point in their relationship. His mother seemed to regard him in a different light. She spoke to him a lot more and when she did, she didn't call him a "mangy pup" or a "wild cur", but maintained an air of politeness. However, it was a cold and formal politeness that more closely resembled a lord speaking to his trusted manservant than a mother to her son. In fact, after that night of motherly tenderness, she never smiled at him again or hugged him or showed him the affection that he craved.

Although there was a great desire in him to demand her affection, he was unable to express his need. Despite her flaws, and there were many, Sesshoumaru was awed by his mother's impossible grace and agility, her boldness in the face of mortal danger and her strength. There was something vaguely untouchable about her. It was as though she lived on a plane of existence higher than his own and that he was somehow unworthy of equal adoration and attention from her.

As he stopped at the river to wash his grimy hands, he felt a deep longing to see his mother's smile and have her hold him as she did when he was wounded. He had done much in the last 50 years to become the kind of son he thought she would be proud of. No longer did he take on his canine form and run meaninglessly from glen to glade chasing foxes or other small demons. Instead, he keenly felt the need to become more like his mother, and now preferred to wear the form of a slender boy with silvery hair and a distinct crescent moon on his forehead. Much like Leiko his mother, he wore dark clothes and frequently went around in silky black hakama pants and a kimono-like top of the same shade with discreet silver prints on the shoulders and sleeves.

Sesshoumaru reckoned that his silky hair, ivory skin, perfect eyebrows and moon-shaped birthmark was inherited from his mother, who herself had pale hair and a moon-shaped mark on her forehead. However, no amount of illusion magic would allow him to get rid of the funny stripes on his face or arms, which he assumed were from the father that he never knew.

It seemed that his effort paid off and his mother too was beginning to regard him with a certain respect, for she taught him how to use her famous whiplash attack among other things, and gave him certain responsibilities. He was now Leiko's assistant, running around the countryside, collecting the ingredients she needed for making her poisons.

The weather was fair and a fresh breeze blew through the forest and river where Sesshoumaru stood. It carried the green smell of trees and blossoms that were now pushing their way upwards through the moist Spring soil. With the smell of the forest there also wafted a strange, new scent. Sesshoumaru's nose wrinkled as he sniffed this new scent carefully. It was not from an animal or demon. In fact, the silver-haired Youkai had never smelt this odour before. His curiosity piqued, Sesshoumaru lightly ran through the forest, carefully following the scent to locate its origin.

He quickly covered a few miles and then came to the end, where the thick foliage vanished before a steep cliff that overlooked a wide plain. Squinting into the distance, he saw beside a river that ran through the plain, the small dark, thatched roofs of a village and smoke rising out of fires that burned in the shallow, sunken heaths in each home.

With light steps finding the slim footholds that dotted the almost vertical cliff, he made his way down towards the small clump of wood and straw huts. Speeding over the flat land like a silver streak, Sesshoumaru's keen hearing led him to the first sounds that he picked up, a chorus of shrill, happy voices and pattering feet. He flattened himself against the ground, hiding his movements in the long grass when he drew close to the source of the sound. He glanced downwards from a low mound and saw a group of children playing in an empty field.

The scene was familiar enough for Sesshoumaru, for it reminded him of the Kitsune, but the individuals that made up the group were not. The demon lad sniffed the air. They didn't smell anything like Kitsune or the other young demons that he occasionally came across. His nose wrinkled irritably as he whiffed the smell of bodies that only occasionally received a proper bath. Whatever these creatures were, they had a smell that reminded him of mildly rotten vegetation with a hint of pickled vegetables… or fish, he couldn't really decide which.

Studying them closely, he noticed that their arms, legs and bodies in general seemed weaker than those of a demon. Absentmindedly he grinned, feeling an old desire to take on his canine form and scare these strange younglings. However, a carefully cultivated sense of caution and paranoia took over and warned him to stay and watch.

And watch he did. It was almost apparent to Sesshoumaru that these creatures did not have his sense of smell, otherwise they would have detected him straightaway since he made no attempts to mask his odour. They also didn't seem to possess a keen sense of hearing or some other supernatural ability to detect unseen watchers. They also wore clothes that seemed raggedly and showed poor workmanship and mostly ran around barefoot.

Although the darkening sky forced him to return to his mountain cavern, he came back every day to spy on these strange creatures. He knew from his mother's books and the accounts of her wide-ranging travels that they were Ningen… humans. A species of creature that resembled certain Youkai but had lifespans that were the Youkai equivalent of mayflies, possessing neither the strength, powers and magic of his race. Most Youkai, his mother included, saw them as animals, which could be trained for certain tasks but were mostly not worth the effort because when they did manage to achieve some learning or skill of significance, they would mostly be too old to be of any real use.

In addition, they had little wisdom and were barbaric in their ways. They had no real civilization to speak of, no great monuments or leaders and on many occasions, certain unruly members of their race would rampage through their lands killing their own and burning fertile fields, sometimes for no apparent reason or motive, no matter how twisted it might be.

"Perhaps they are prone to madness," commented Leiko once, when Sesshoumaru asked her about them.

"I wish I could see some," the boy remarked.

"You would do well to stay away from them," his mother said. "Although they are the beasts of this land, they can be dangerous beasts when a lot of them get together … In time, you will be immune to their crude weapons, but not at this moment." She glanced at Sesshoumaru's slim stature.

Unfortunately for Leiko, her words regarding these Ningens went largely unheeded by her son. He was fascinated by them, and even wondered if he should just walk into the village and introduce himself politely just to see how they would react. He observed that they were able to communicate with each other verbally, and were not limited to grunts and noises like the other creatures of the forest.

One breezy day as he contemplated for the umpteenth from his usual watching post near the village, his ears picked up the hooves of a group of horses approaching the village. Quickly, he found the thick foliage of a nearby tree and stayed hidden in the branches. Soon, he saw a group of horsemen approach the village. They carried weapons and rode boldly in, seeking for the leader of this small community. As they drew near, Sesshoumaru could smell the stench that clung to them. It was a mixture of unwashed bodies with stale sweat and a lot of dried blood, but little of it their own.

They easily located the village headman, for he was a well-muscled, tall individual who did not try to hide like some of the other villagers. He held his hoe tightly in his hand and glared coldly at the leader of the riders, a gruff, scarred man with a large, black beard, who trotted up towards him. They exchanged a few words before the black-bearded man started demanding a tribute from the village, which practically consisted of a large percentage of their newly harvested crop. When the village headman screamed out his protest, an arrow from one of the riders caught him in the chest and he fell where he stood, his blood pooling on the dusty ground.

Seeing that their headman was dead, the villagers panicked and ran off screaming. However, the swift riders caught up with a few of them and lopped off their heads as they tried to run into the nearby forest. Another used his bow to pick off some of the fleeing children. As he pulled out a fourth arrow out of the makeshift quiver slung against his back, the archer screamed in pain as a silvery streak flew past his face. Reaching up to touch his blooded face, he stared in mute horror as his face and entire skull came apart in 3 places and he landed on the ground with a sickening thump.

His screams alerted the other riders who turned to see if a villager was assaulting their archer, but as soon as they reeled their horses back, a few of them felt a tearing pain in their chests and found themselves staring at a gaping hole that mysteriously appeared in their torso – the bearded leader gaped in horror as he saw his companions being decimated one by one. He drew his sword and screamed obscenities at whatever monster it was to show itself. Then, almost as if the monster heard his bold challenge, it appeared in front of him.

Almost as though he materialized from thin air, the leader of the now deceased riders saw a young lad with silvery hair and pools of gold for eyes leap towards him and slash downwards with slender, ivory fingers. He had faced many an opponent before, but even in death, he was sure he would never forget the look of icy calm on the flawless face of that boy.

The bearded leader slid from his horse and landed with a splat on the ground as he was sliced into a dozen or more pieces by razor-sharp claws. Sesshoumaru landed on the ground beside the mangled body of the man looking a little confused. His hands were black with blood, but they didn't disturb him as much as the fact that he had in the spur of the moment, saved an entire village of humans from certain destruction…. And he wasn't even sure why he did it.

* * *

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the reviews. Just to answer a few questions:

**Jessica01** – Hi Jessica, I posted an answer to your question at the top of the first chapter of this story.

**J-Squishyfreak **- Thanks for the feedback on the story, glad you liked the twist.

**Sexy3Slytherin **– As you requested, here's the update J


	4. The Village

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha._

_A continuation from the previous chapter where Sesshoumaru, now appearing as a 13-year-old, saves a village of humans from raiding horsemen. While writing this chapter I wondered how the village people would react to Sess and how he would regard them in return. I also wanted to explore the very first encounters and relationships he had with humans which might have shaped his character and current view of them._

_Translations:_

_Youkai – demon  
__Kitsune – a type of fox demon, the same as Shippou in the original "Inuyasha"  
__Ningen – human  
Kami – deities_

_

* * *

_

When he was sure no one was looking, Sesshoumaru quickly walked towards the small, hurriedly-mended hut that the villagers now used as a shrine. Inside the gloomy hut, he found at the very centre, a roughly hewn stone figure of stone that lacked distinguishing details but was carved in the general shape of a person with longish hair and bulging eyes. Someone, possibly the craftsman who made the statue, had used paints made from natural dyes to colour the "hair" white, the bulging "eyes" yellow and the "clothes" a sort of sooty black.

The youkai lad had observed the villagers bearing offerings and bowing to the statue for some time now. It was pretty obvious to him who the statue represented. At first, he was confused and even a little embarrassed by the attention. He had expected them to react pretty badly after witnessing a bloody-clawed, white haired demon flying off into the sky following the horrible death of the bearded bandit. Leiko his mother had told him about how humans would run screaming at the sight of anything strange, particularly youkai. They were a weak species and their only defense lay in their natural cowardliness.

A strange pride welled up in him as he gazed around at the simple pottery plates and bowls that held the offerings. Picking up a plate he found a pile of circular, white things that were soft and sticky. He sniffed them carefully and finding them edible, popped one into his mouth. Although they weren't exactly culinary gems Sesshoumaru closed his eyes in pleasure as he savoured the sweet delights.

"Mmmmmmmm…." He had never tasted anything quite like it before. Clearly humans were good at SOME things.

The sound of feet scraping on wood brought his attention back from his reverie. Turning in the direction of the sound, he saw a small village boy staring open-mouthed at him. Sesshoumaru quietly chided himself. He had been so wrapped up in the moment that he hadn't noticed the little boy sneaking up on him.

"Wait…" Sesshoumaru recognized the boy as the son of the now deceased village headman. However, the frightened child ran away as soon as the youkai noticed him. With inhuman speed, he caught hold of the child and gently asked, "What is your name?"

Still trembling, the boy opened and closed his mouth like a fish and then finally stuttered, "T- Takeo."

Sesshoumaru paused for a moment not knowing what to say next. He had hardly any experiencing interacting with anyone demon or human in a social context.

"Sesshoumaru," he finally said, pointing at himself.

Takeo opened his eyes wide and mouthed the name silently. In an attempt to break the awkward silence, youkai lad pushed the pottery plate with the fluffy white things in front of the boy, "Here, have some."

The boy shook his head and said, "No, it is forbidden…"

Sesshoumaru blinked in confusion, "Why not?"

"It is sacred… an offering…" the white-haired youkai still seemed confused. "It's for kami… er… you."

Kami? Sesshoumaru's eyebrow shot up when he heard the boy's explanation. "Well, if its mine then… I can give it to anyone I like."

Takeo gingerly picked up one and popped it into his mouth. Clearly, he liked them too.

"What are they?"

The boy seemed surprised, "They are sweet rice cakes, Sesshoumaru-sama. Do they not have rice cakes in paradise?"

"No."

* * *

Takeo was as intelligent as he was bold. His awe of Sesshoumaru soon turned into genuine friendship. An open and honest child, he soon introduced the entire village to their "kami". Although the initial introductions were very very awkward for both the awestruck villagers and the youkai, somehow Takeo made it bearable for everyone. Despite his anxiety, all the villagers accepted his presence, albeit as some sort of demi-god walking the earth. They bowed to him when he passed by and showed him the kind of respect that reflected their view of who they thought he was.

Strangely enough, the behaviour of the villagers caused some rather alien thoughts and feelings to emerge in Sesshoumaru's heart. There was a warm tingling feeling when he gazed on the village and a sensation which he recognized as pride. The village and its people were not just some Ningens he happened to save by mistake; they were now part of the land that he instinctively considered his personal territory. He felt a sense of ownership and responsibility and started using his powers to help them rebuild their homes and fields. A bond of trust began to grow between the villagers and the youkai and they all began to regard him as a kind of local guardian deity.

All, that is, except for a young lad by the name of Goro. He was an orphan who lived with his uncle and aunt. Sesshoumaru noticed that the boy didn't really bow to him and carefully avoided showing him any sign of worship or homage. His first reaction was to confront Goro publicly, but stopped short of it because in truth, he was feeling a little unworthy of the reverence and admiration that the villagers heaped on him.

However, one quiet night, he quietly made his way to the house where Goro lived with his relatives. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he knew he needed to find out the cause of the lad's hostility towards him. As he paced around outside the hut, wondering how he should approach the situation, he heard a loud conversation coming from inside. Moving quietly to a half-opened window, he hid and watched.

"How dare you say such a thing!" the boy's uncle threatened, glaring that the defiant Goro with a stern expression.

"He's a youkai!" the boy exclaimed. "I saw others like him when I traveled around with father and grandfather."

"Sesshoumaru-sama is NOT a demon!" the uncle thundered. "He is a blessed kami that has come to us in our hour of need!"

"Listen to your uncle, Goro," seeing that the argument was becoming more heated, the boy's aunt tried to coax some sense into him. "If Sesshoumaru-sama was really a demon, would he bother to save us or help us rebuild our village?"

The boy fell silent hearing the words of his aunt, then added sullenly, "I don't know why he's doing this. But I DO know that he isn't a god."

Unfortunately, the argument continued, but Sesshoumaru did not stick around to listen to the conclusion. He had heard all that he needed to. He had feared something like this would happen since the day Takeo introduced him to the village. Sadly, he flew back to his mother's cavern and wondered if it were better to just disappear before disappointment had any chance to take hold. As he entered the sparkling cavern lit by moving werelights, he saw Leiko his mother standing in the doorway. Her cold stare unnerved him, her eyes seemingly reading his unspoken thoughts.

"What is this that I sense from you? Fear? Regret?... Where have you been, my son?"

Sesshoumaru looked up. She hadn't referred to him as her son since the night he killed the ogre. "Nowhere… mother." He winced looking away from her. That was certainly a 'great' answer.

"Why should you concern yourself with the opinions of lower beings?"

His mother knew!

"I don't know what you are talking about." Experience and training told him that he should just have admitted, but his annoyance at finding out that his mother had probably spied on him caused his defiance to emerge.

Before he could blink, a sharp, stinging slap landed on his cheek. "NEVER EVER lie to your mother!"

His mother's razor-like claws had left a thin line of blood on his left cheek. He didn't turn to face her as tears sprung to his eyes.

"Either leave them or destroy them utterly," Leiko's voice was cold and emotionless as she saw a tear fall from her son's face. "No good can come from consorting with humans. Like smoke that rises from a fire, they exist for a brief moment and then vanish into darkness. Their emotions and loyalties change like the currents of the sea, for they know not their own mind. They are a weak race, a stain on the beauty of our world, why should you fear their opinion or seek after the regard of those without strength, or wisdom, or honour?"

Seeing that she was going to get no reaction from her son, Leiko turned to leave, "In the end, they will only cause you grief. If you must persist in associating with them, then learn to show no weakness or emotion. Let no one read the thoughts of your mind."

"Mother –" There were so many things he wanted her to know, but somehow knew that she would never accept or understand.

He never finished his sentence, instead turned and ran out into the night.

* * *

Sesshoumaru never did return home after that night. He didn't hate his mother for hitting him, but he knew that she would never understand or approve of his actions in the village. Leiko's ruthlessness and persistence were things that he knew all too well. For the first time in his life, he truly feared what she might take away from him if he continued staying with her.

He found a giant hollow oak in the nearby forest which he made into his home. It was roomy inside and the entrance was well concealed. Using some of the magic his mother taught him he was able to make it so that his home inside of the oak was a lot larger than it looked on the outside. Although it still looked exactly like a large tree on the outside, no one would have guessed that it contained a hall, several bedrooms and a fully furnished bathroom that had a sunken wooden tub!

Although he continued to watch over the village, he limited his visits and made sure that most of them were discreet and formal. It was likely that Leiko his mother was still spying on his activities, and he wanted to ensure that he did nothing to endanger what little happiness he found here. He made sure that he never appeared to be getting close to any particular human or family, for he was sure that his mother would think of a way to cause them harm.

However, despite his best efforts, he was unable to keep the little Takeo at arms length. The boy instantly noticed the change in his behaviour.

"Why are you hiding from us?" the boy asked him one day when he visited his shrine during a quiet afternoon.

The youkai stared at the boy, then sighed, "There are many… places I have to look after."

"Oh. That means you'll leave us one day?" The little boy looked sadly at his bare feet.

"I'll watch over you, Takeo… Always."

The boy looked up at him and beamed.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I know some of you might be wondering where Sess got the magic to create an oak tree home. Well, there is some evidence from the book manga series itself that gives certain hints as to his 'other' abilities and knowledge… apart from the obviously martial ones. In book 2 of the series, he seems to have enough knowledge to set up an illusion to try and fool his brother. Some might say that the illusion could have been generated by the mother-demoness in the story or even Jaken, but if we think about it, even Jaken's human-headed staff was given to him by Sess. The demoness herself was a rather weak creature that was killed in a single blow. Even Inuyasha was ready to believe that Sess could somehow retrieve his mother from the afterlife and give her a physical form. For that to happen, Inuyasha had to have witnessed something Sess did in the past for him to accept what I thought was a rather weak explanation regarding the presence of his mother in the land of the living.

If Sess's skills and knowledge were completely martial, he probably won't be able to quickly figure out the riddle of the "left black pearl". This sort of thing does require a certain amount of mystical knowledge. Moreover, we have seen time and time again that demons like Naraku and the butterfly demon that spins cocoons, are able to create vast illusions that distort entire landscapes. It seems magic is one of the powers and skills that exist in a demon's arsenal; the unfortunate thing is that we don't see a lot of in either the books or anime series.

Dear Readers,

Thanks for the reviews. Just to answer a few questions:

**Icygirl2 **– No. sadly Sess's mom's name is never mentioned in the anime or movies. There isn't even any info that might give a hint as to what kind of demoness she was. I invented the character of Leiko because I figured she was likely an essential character in his development and it also helps to explain why Sess has some youkai powers that differ from his dad and Inuyasha. I can pretty much guess what Sess's mom looks like because of evidence presented in the movie "Swords of an honourable ruler".

Thanks to the effort of fans to capture every nuance of the Inuyasha anime, someone managed to take a screenshot of Sess's dad's face close-up. Looking at Inutaisho, I found that he had only a single stripe on each cheek, thick, dramatic eyebrows and eyes that reminded me more of Inuyasha than of Sesshoumaru. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Inuyasha looks more like his dad than Sesshy ever did.

So who on earth does Sess look like? Well, how about his mom? I can imagine a very pretty woman with Sess's refined eyebrows and general facial shape. Also, he has very thin eyebrows, more like a woman's than a man's.

Based on what I found out, I invented Leiko to help move the tale forward. "Leiko" apparently means "arrogant", which suits her character anyways. I hope this explanation sufficiently covers whatever questions you might have about the character.


	5. Growing Up

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha._

_20 years have passed since the day Sesshoumaru made his promise to Takeo to "never leave him". This chapter continues the tale of his friendship with the late village headman's son.  
_

_Translations:_

_Youkai – demon  
__Ningen – human  
Kami – deities_

_----------------------------------------------- _

The years flew by like autumn leaves floating down a rapidly gushing stream. Before Sesshoumaru realized it, 20 years had passed. For a demon such as himself, the passing of decades was nothing more than a moment in his endless life. He still looked exactly like the lad of 13 summers, who had saved the little village from bandits so many years ago. However, little Takeo was now a tall, fully-grown young man who tied up his jet-black hair into a neat topknot.

Despite his age, Takeo had put off taking a wife because of the turbulent times that had fallen upon the surrounding lands. Some 15 years back, news came to the village from traveling peddlers that some powerful headmen and landowners had consolidated their holdings of land. Over time, through marriages, bartering or outright violence, the property of some of these landowners grew to considerable sizes. Eventually some of these landowners called themselves "lords" and started to keep their own armies.

All too soon, certain "lords" found that their holdings were too small for their liking and began looking avariciously at the lands of their neighbours. Inevitably, wars broke out between these "lords". As the death toll from the battles and skirmishes mounted, the lords realized that they needed to find fresh bodies and skillful arms carry weapons and march in their armies. Thus, they began raiding the neighbouring lands for soldiers to fill the shoes of the fallen.

Because of the relative inaccessibility of Takeo's little village, no one had come to their village to demand the lives of their young men. However, as fate would have it, a missive from a neighbouring lord came to their village with a rather unpleasant letter that threatened the village with destruction unless it offered up its able-bodied young men as recruits for the lord's army.

Although they were simple peasants, the villagers knew enough from the lord's reputation that if they did not comply with the order, they would face certain death. Such was the level of concern among the villagers that they met in the evening before a bonfire in the center of the village to discuss how they should handle this matter.

"Perhaps we should ask the kami what we should do," someone said midway through the discussion. The suggestion was popular with the villagers, for they cheered when they heard it.

"No! We don't need to ask him!" a stern-faced young man retorted firmly. Although he was a scrawny child, Goro had grown into a tall, nicely muscled adult. "This doesn't concern him at all!"

"Goro! How can you say that!" his aunt was shocked that he had so publicly made known his distaste for their divine hero. "He saved us all! Without him, we would not be alive. We owe him our lives and our village."

"NO WE DON'T!" Goro was firm. "We are not his servants and HE is NOT a god!"

Although some people yelled for him to shut up, the determined Goro continued, "Do you think that he can actually fight off the armies of Lord Yamaguchi? He is but one against hundreds, maybe thousands! Anything less than that which is truly divine will succumb to the onslaught of great numbers and …"

"Goro, sit down," Takeo put his hand on the young man's shoulder. Reluctantly, he resumed his seat next to his uncle and aunt.

"I think, it would be better to send some of us to Lord Yamaguchi," Takeo began somberly. "Even if kami-sama could defeat great numbers of men, even Lord Yamaguchi's army, this land and our village would be destroyed by the battle… No, it is better that some of us are sacrificed for the greater good. We'll draw straws. Those who draw the short straws will surrender themselves to Lord Yamaguchi's representative when he comes. Those who draw the long straws will then hide away in the nearby hills, leaving only the old, the sick, woman and children, so that when the time comes, Lord Yamaguchi will think that he has taken all who can bear arms in this village."

Although it wasn't an ideal solution, the village as a whole assented to it. Straws were offered to the young men who were not married and were not the only child of a particular family. Of all the young men in the village, only Goro stepped forward to volunteer himself.

"You don't have to do this," Takeo said to the determined young farmer. "You are the only surviving member of your family."

"That is why I am an ideal choice," he replied. "My uncle and aunt have grown sons of their own and do not need me to help them in their old age. If I do not go, then the luck of the draw falls upon one of my cousins. No, I take up the burden for all of them. And besides, I DO NOT want to live under the thumb of a demon."

In the end, 10 young men were chosen and Takeo was among them. After the villagers quietly returned to their huts, a slim, silken shadow slipped from the darkness and approached Takeo just as he was about to return to his home.

"You don't have to do this, you know," the white-haired, black clad youkai said. "I can 'persuade' this lord to set his sights elsewhere."

Takeo sighed smiling. Sometimes he wondered if his kami friend would ever grow out of the simple naiveté that matched his 13-year-old appearance. He supposed long ago that immortals like Sesshoumaru never aged and coming from the paradise of the high heavens, would never understand the complexities of life as a human being in these turbulent times.

He shook his head in answer to Sesshoumaru's offer. "No, Lord Yamaguchi would only become enraged after he recovers from the shock of your visit."

"Then I'll kill him."

"What good would that do? His armies would march towards our little village to avenge his death. No Sesshoumaru-sama, it is far better what we do. Sometimes sacrifices must be made and a little deception will bring peace to our village in the long run."

"Besides," he added. "I've always wanted to travel away and see the world beyond our mountains and hills. Perhaps this is Fate's chance of letting me fulfill my own small dreams."

The white-haired youkai nodded. "If that is what you wish. Then I'll not prevent it."

"Thank you."

"However."

"However?"

"Don't think I have forgotten that promise I made to you," the demon lad grinned. "No matter how far you travel from this place, I will never leave you."

As the words came out of his mouth, the silky, dark shadow with golden eyes vanished into the night.

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It took only 5 days before Lord Yamaguchi's representative arrived and whisked the 10 men away. They traveled over difficult mountainous terrain before they came to Lord Yamaguchi's abode. It was a wooden castle that was surrounded by a small town and walls made of stones, packed earth and wooden spikes. Because of the number of men in the army, the town resembled some kind of ramshackle garrison.

It rained continuously the day that Takeo, Goro and the other 8 arrived at the castle. The houses, people and even the stones took on a hue that resembled the colour of cold, grey slate. Grimly the men were marched to the barracks where they were each given a pike, a sword and armour that seemed to have been well used. There was almost no time to rest or to accustom themselves to their new surroundings before the recruits were put into training for war.

In the short space of 2 weeks, the young men soon found themselves packed tightly together with rows of other pikemen facing a foggy battlefield on a damp day when the rain was as fine as down feathers sweeping down from the sky. Feeling a strong surge of fear in his belly, Takeo looked around and spotted Goro a few rows down from him staring ahead grimly. The day was as grey as when they first arrived at the castle.

For the first time in many many years, he had felt the kind of fear that he remembered when he first saw his father fall at the hands of the bandits. He wanted to run and hide, but knew that if he did so, the commander sitting astride a horse commanding his regiment would ride up and with a swing of his sword, fell him as he stumbled away. He wondered where his white-haired kami friend was, and his heart almost faltered when he thought of the young godling deserting him. Since they last spoke in the village, Takeo had not seen him at all.

The uneasy shifting of men in his row brought Takeo back to the moment. He saw dark shapes emerge from the foggy horizon. As the shapes drew nearer, he saw the pikes and flags of the enemy. There was a shout from his direct commander and then a horn sounded and Takeo found himself shouting and running forward with his pike lowered in a charge. He heard a roar in his ears, like the sound of many waves clashing on a rocky shoreline. For an instant, he felt a moment of deafness as he numbly lunged forward, pike piercing the armour of the enemy in front of him. The smell of tangy blood awoke his senses, and he became afraid again.

Men were dying all around him, and the only thing he could think about was getting away from it all. He stumbled about, stabbing blindly with his pike. Finally, slipping on a bit of mud mixed with gore, he fell flat on his face. Takeo struggled to get up again and found himself facing a warrior with his sword drawn, ready to strike downwards. Screaming in terror, his eyes widened as he watched the glittering arc descend towards him.

Suddenly, a black wind flashed between himself and the deadly blade. When it passed, the warrior that held it split into 4 evenly sliced pieces. Staring as blood from the man splashed on him, he swung around and saw enemy soldiers falling to the ground, their bodies split like the trunk of trees. Neither he nor anyone else saw what it was that caused this gruesome wonder to happen, but Takeo knew that this was the work of his divine friend.

Lord Yamaguchi's army won a great victory that day and added his enemy's land to his own. However, the legend that came out of that battle was of how a simple farmer from a small village, seemingly unskilled in the ways of war, wielded a blade so fast and deadly that he cleaved men like trees. As he was covered from head to toe in glistening blood at the end of the battle, they called him The Red Wind.

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**To All Reviewers**

Thank you all for your patience and for all the reviews that you have given me. Things have been kinda busy over at my end so I was unable to write this. I hope to be able to write more in the future.


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